The present invention relates generally to inkjet printheads, and more particularly to a wide-array inkjet printhead assembly.
A conventional inkjet printing system includes a printhead, an ink supply which supplies liquid ink to the printhead, and an electronic controller which controls the printhead. The printhead ejects ink drops through a plurality of orifices or nozzles and toward a print medium, such as a sheet of paper, so as to print onto the print medium. Typically, the orifices are arranged in one or more arrays such that properly sequenced ejection of ink from the orifices causes characters or other images to be printed upon the print medium as the printhead and the print medium are moved relative to each other.
In one arrangement, commonly referred to as a wide-array inkjet printing system, a plurality of individual printheads, also referred to as printhead dies, are mounted on a single carrier. As such, a number of nozzles and, therefore, an overall number of ink drops which can be ejected per second is increased. Since the overall number of drops which can be ejected per second is increased, printing speed can be increased with the wide-array inkjet printing system.
Mounting a plurality of printhead dies on a single carrier, however, requires that the single carrier facilitate electrical routing for the printhead dies. More specifically, the single carrier must accommodate communication of a plurality of power, ground, and data signals between the electronic controller and each of the printhead dies. As such, the single carrier must accommodate a plurality of electrical connections with the electronic controller.
Accordingly, a need exists for communicating power, ground, and data signals between an electronic controller and a plurality of printhead dies mounted on a single carrier.
One aspect of the present invention provides an inkjet printhead assembly. The inkjet printhead assembly includes a carrier including a substructure and a substrate mounted on the substructure, a plurality of printhead dies each mounted on the substrate, and an electrical interconnect. The substrate has an electrical circuit formed therein such that the printhead dies are electrically coupled to the electrical circuit and the electrical interconnect is electrically coupled to the electrical circuit. As such, the substructure accommodates the electrical interconnect.
In one embodiment, the electrical interconnect includes a plurality of electrical contacts each electrically coupled to the electrical circuit. In one embodiment, each of the electrical contacts extend at least one of from and through the substructure.
In one embodiment, the electrical interconnect further includes a plurality of conductive paths provided in a layer of flexible material. As such, each of the electrical contacts are electrically coupled to at least one of the conductive paths and at least one of the conductive paths is electrically coupled to the electrical circuit. In one embodiment, the substructure supports the layer of flexible material.
In one embodiment, the substructure has a first side and a second side opposite the first side. As such, the electrical interconnect includes a first portion adjacent the first side of the substructure and a second portion adjacent the second side of the substructure. In one embodiment, the first portion of the electrical interconnect is adapted to communicate data signals with the inkjet printhead assembly and the second portion of the electrical interconnect is adapted to communicate power signals with the inkjet printhead assembly.
In one embodiment, the electrical circuit includes a plurality of conductive paths extending through the substrate. Thus, the electrical interconnect is electrically coupled to at least one of the conductive paths and each of the printhead dies are electrically coupled to at least one of the conductive paths.
In one embodiment, the substrate includes a plurality of layers including conductive layers and non-conductive layers. As such, each of the conductive layers form a portion of at least one of the conductive paths. In one embodiment, the conductive layers include at least one power layer, at least one ground layer, and at least one data layer.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of forming an inkjet printhead assembly. The method includes providing a substructure, mounting a substrate having an electrical circuit formed therein on the substructure, mounting a plurality of printhead dies on the substrate and electrically coupling the printhead dies to the electrical circuit, and electrically coupling an electrical interconnect to the electrical circuit, including accommodating the electrical interconnect with the substructure.
Another aspect of the present invention provides an inkjet printing system. The inkjet printing system includes a mounting assembly including a plurality of electrical contacts and an inkjet printhead assembly mounted in the mounting assembly. The inkjet printhead assembly includes a carrier having an electrical circuit formed therein, a plurality of printhead dies each mounted on the carrier and electrically coupled to the electrical circuit, and an electrical interconnect electrically coupled to the electrical circuit. As such, the electrical interconnect of the inkjet printhead assembly contacts at least one of the electrical contacts of the mounting assembly when the inkjet printhead assembly is mounted in the mounting assembly.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of forming an inkjet printing system. The method includes providing a mounting assembly and an inkjet printhead assembly, and mounting the inkjet printhead assembly in the mounting assembly. The mounting assembly includes a plurality of electrical contacts and the inkjet printhead assembly includes a carrier having an electrical circuit formed therein, a plurality of printhead dies each mounted on the carrier and electrically coupled to the electrical circuit, and an electrical interconnect electrically coupled to the electrical circuit. As such, mounting the inkjet printhead assembly in the mounting assembly includes contacting at least one of the electrical contacts of the mounting assembly with the electrical interconnect of the inkjet printhead assembly.
The present invention provides an electrical interconnection which facilitates communication of electrical signals between an electronic controller and a plurality of printhead dies each mounted on a single carrier.